“As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl” is a non‑fiction book by journalist John Colapinto about David Reimer, a Canadian boy whose tragic life became one of the most infamous cases in the history of gender and medical ethics. It is frequently discussed in forums and articles today because it challenges earlier beliefs that gender identity can be fully shaped by upbringing and surgery alone.

What the book is about

  • The book follows David (born Bruce) Reimer, one of a pair of twin boys born in Canada in 1965.
  • A botched circumcision in infancy destroyed his penis, and his parents were advised by psychologist John Money and surgeons to raise him as a girl instead.
  • Surgeons removed his testes, constructed rudimentary female genitalia, and he was renamed Brenda and socialized as a girl.

Growing up “as a girl”

  • Despite being raised as Brenda , Reimer consistently rejected feminine roles, clothes, and behaviors, and was bullied and isolated at school.
  • Medical reports at the time claimed the reassignment was a success, and the case (under the pseudonym “John/Joan”) was widely cited as evidence that gender identity is malleable and primarily learned.
  • In reality, Reimer experienced severe distress and depression, especially as he neared adolescence.

Discovering the truth and transition back

  • As a teenager, Reimer became suicidal, and his parents eventually told him the truth about the accident and the reassignment.
  • He chose to live as male, took the name David , began testosterone treatment, had a double mastectomy, and later underwent phalloplasty surgeries to reconstruct a penis.
  • David later married a woman and helped raise her three children as a stepfather in Winnipeg.

Why this story matters now

  • The book exposed how earlier, optimistic academic reports about the “John/Joan” case were misleading and how they influenced treatment protocols for intersex children and those with genital injuries.
  • Ethically, the case is now widely cited as a warning about non‑consensual, irreversible medical interventions on infants and children, especially when driven by theories rather than long‑term evidence.
  • It also shapes current debates about:
    • How and when to intervene surgically in cases of atypical genital development.
* The importance of listening to a child’s expressed sense of self.

* The long‑term psychological impact of secrecy and coerced gender roles.

Later life and tragic end

  • After speaking publicly and cooperating with Colapinto on As Nature Made Him , David’s case drew global attention.
  • He continued to struggle with psychological trauma and the consequences of the experiment and died by suicide at age 38 in 2004.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.